This is the vampire book that I wanted when I was younger. I wanted morally grey vampires from diverse backgrounds with unique abilities. I didn't want sparkles. I wanted grit and darkness with a touch of romance and a cool dog. However, as I get older I get harder to please. On paper this was everything that I should have loved from the combination of characters, the vibrant setting, and the amazing world lore, but I found it to be a little too slow paced to keep me captivated for longer than two or three chapters at a time.

For me, the pacing didn't really kick off until about seven chapters towards then end and by that point there really was saving it for me. I have seen other reviewers say that it was fast paced, but they must have had something that kept them glued to the pages that I lacked. However, I think that fans of vampires, but are looking for something a little outside of the box will really enjoy this. Readers who like noir novels, cop novels, grey characters and gritty underworlds will probably also find something to like in this. If everything else fails you can always root for the really awesome dog.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for providing me with an e-ARC of this novel, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a really interesting take on vampires. The author creates an entirely new world where there are multiple clans/species of vampire, each with their own appearance, powers and foibles. She places them in a modern world and lets the story run from there.

I really really wanted to love this book. It's not 'just another vampire novel' and in an alternate present discovering vampires led to a completely reshaped 21st century - México city closed itself off, with the rest of the country at the mercy of vamp gangs fighting for territory (and food). I love the different type of vampires (Mexican vampres existing since the Aztecs vs the Necros who are more traditional European mythology) . I love bringing together so many myths around vampires, and honestly is a breath of fresh air in the whole vampire neo-noir. It's fun, it's clever, and I would absolutely recommend it. Did I love it? Not quite - the ending kind of knocked me back, but this as a whole is the first one in a while that does vampire myths justice, and even better it has culture and diversity with a brilliant complexity. Fingers crossed for the next one!

"From Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic, comes Certain Dark Things, a pulse-pounding neo-noir that reimagines vampire lore.

Welcome to Mexico City, an oasis in a sea of vampires. Domingo, a lonely garbage-collecting street kid, is just trying to survive its heavily policed streets when a jaded vampire on the run swoops into his life. Atl, the descendant of Aztec blood drinkers, is smart, beautiful, and dangerous. Domingo is mesmerized.

Atl needs to quickly escape the city, far from the rival narco-vampire clan relentlessly pursuing her. Her plan doesn’t include Domingo, but little by little, Atl finds herself warming up to the scrappy young man and his undeniable charm. As the trail of corpses stretches behind her, local cops and crime bosses both start closing in.

Vampires, humans, cops, and criminals collide in the dark streets of Mexico City. Do Atl and Domingo even stand a chance of making it out alive? Or will the city devour them all?"

Silvia Moreno-Garcia, AKA the author of the moment.

Another vampire novel, you'd say? Don't we have enough of that?

Well, not in this refreshing, utterly unique spin that only Silvia Moreno-Garcia can do! I don't want to go too much into details as I think this is a book that is better served reading without any assumptions, especially as the subject matter already leads to the usual beliefs and stereotypes. 4 stars for the writing, 5 for originality!

I had absolutely no idea that was was missing in my life was a Latinx vampire neo-noir horror novel. I was missing out! This book has me wanting to get my hands on every single neo-noir book I can find and also on every book Moreno-Garcia has ever written that I have not yet read.

This was my second book by this author, and once again Moreno-Garcia's writing was incredible. I could picture every single scene in this book. Most often through a rainy black and white lens.

This is not your typical vampire novel. You will not find sparkly love triangles here. Instead, you will find horror, grit, and beautiful downfalls. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. This book combines different vampire myths from multiple cultures and the end result is a book I couldn't put down. Amazing.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia awes again and this time with a magnificent, expansive tale of alternative universes and the coolest vampires you’ve ever met.

Certain Dark Things is a departure from typical vampire tales. Set in Mexico City, a place where vampires supposedly do not tread, Domingo meets Atl on the subway. Part of an ancient and legendary subspecies of vampire, Atl is on the run, hiding from the savage vampires who killed her family. She recruits Domingo to be her assistant and her food source. But as more parties converge on Atl's hideout, she and Domingo will have to make a run for it if they want to make it out of the city alive.
This book plays with multiple versions of vampires, setting them up as subspecies with different cultures and traditions. It's a fresh take on a genre full of traditional vampire stories. It was well-written, and I think the story wrapped up in the only way it could have.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia does world-building like no other. The author’s ability to infuse textual layers to breathe life into a setting is mesmerizing. Her neo-noir paints a vivid picture of urban Mexico City, lending a rich, authentic atmosphere for her unique spin on vampires. Nestled in this depiction of Mexico City is a dark tale of lust and corruption, and of action and consequences. The complex, flawed characters are icing on the cake of this compulsory, genre-bending read. It’s riveting urban fantasy at its finest.

First off let me start by saying once again Silvia has exceeded my expectations. She provides her amazing storytelling set in Mexico City but this time the paranormal element isn't a gothic haunting supernatural element, no she has vampires. This is a very cool and fast pace read that will leave you wanting more. I know I am a huge fan of hers and will buy everything she writes because so far she hasn't disappointed me yet. Every story she creates is unique in its own way but still has her own style and spin on it. This was another amazing read from her!

After reading Mexican Gothic earlier this year, I was eager for more fiction by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, so of course I had to pick this one up! I was really excited for this idea of a "neon noir" setting, and overall I was pretty satisfied. It was a really interesting exploration, to imagine a world where everyone knows vampires are real -- and there are over a dozen different vampire species -- but they are still rather marginalized in society. My favorite part was definitely getting to know some of the different vampire species, and especially experiencing what it was like from a deeper perspective with Atl. I really enjoyed the deep history of her culture and family, but I honestly would have loved to nerd out with even more details in that regard. This was overall a pretty entertaining story, and I personally really enjoyed the darkness of the atmosphere (although I could have gone for much more *dark*). I think I would have enjoyed this even more if there had been a bit more exploration of the relationship between Atl and both her dog Cualli, and of course between Atl and Domingo. In the end, I was left satisfied with the story I read, but also I would eagerly read a sequel!

DNF at 55%. The real action starts around this point, but I still didn't feel invested enough. I tried to finish this one, I really did. It ultimately felt like a chore.

The good:
- The general idea. I was interested in this gritty, dark world that Moreno-Garcia has presented to us. A walled-off Mexico City that definitely has no vampires in it is intriguing and sets up an interesting premise.
- The writing. I found the writing to be straightforward and easy to consume, albeit a bit dry. It's definitely well-edited.

The bad:
- The characters. I had a hard time connecting to or becoming invested in any of the characters introduced, and I think ultimately this is the book's downfall. Some of the actions the characters took felt fake or unreasonable, or their internal monologue didn't really make sense with the world around them.
- The plot/pacing. The premise of the book, as noted above, is interesting, and what kept me reading initially. But for about the first half of the book, we meet a lot of characters in a very surface-level manner, and we're introduced to some very basic conflicts, but nothing truly happens until about the 55% mark. When it does, it's very disappointing. None of the characters ever really experience repercussions for their actions, and the way things happen don't feel realistic, within the world the story takes place in.

There will most certainly be people enjoy this book, and I'm sad I can't count myself among them.

Dark and suspenseful (without being too gruesome), with a fascinating internal mythology/world-building.

I received an ARC of this reissue through NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review.

I had fun and I'm not mad I spent my time on this. I loved the themes! We can definitely have some conversations about the impact of colonialism and also talk about government responses to global diseases. I also loved the playing with of vampire folklore and vampire tropes.

I think the writing style is very much intentional in it being reminiscent of a noir film, but I didn't super love the experience of reading it. At times it felt very silly and I kept having to remind myself of the style/vibes it was intentionally creating.

Hence the 3/5 star rating. It's not a new all time favorite for me personally. But I can definitely see this being a new favorite for folx who love their genre fiction, love horror, or love a good vampire story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for letting me read the ARC in exchange for a review!

I've actually attempted to read this book twice. The first time, I read the word "vampire" and really went in with the wrong expectations. I didn't even make it through the whole book the first time because of those expectations. So, when I saw this new edition pop up on Netgalley, I thought "I like vampires. I like Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Why don't we try this again?" Moreno-Garcia's own comments on Goodreads about this book and what to expect helped a lot. I finally understood that this was less of a vampire romance but more of a noir/gritty/thriller where Atl and Domingo's lives are at stake. The book is dark and- I'll emphasize- gritty. Every character in the story has something messed up going on in their lives, but they're trying to scrape by and survive as best as they can.

I loved watching Atl and Domingo. I loved watching them slowly (and kind of awkwardly) become friends and begin to care about each other. I'm glad I gave this story a second chance because it is good. Just realize this is not a vampire romance. Yes there is love and sex and lots of blood, but Moreno-Garcia uses real vampire lore from around the world in this book. A lot of these vampires aren't exactly pretty, but they feel so much more real.

OH MY GOSH. certain dark things is stunning. i felt as if this book was written for me. it has everything i love and i cant wait to recommend to everyone

A fun twist on classic noir, with vampires! It's a fast read, bouncing between a few strands of plot, and while Moreno-Garcia's writing has gotten better since she first wrote this book, that doesn't mean this is bad. It's a great summer ripper, get into it.

**Make sure to read the author's note before diving into this story!**

I thoroughly enjoyed Certain Dark Things despite this not being a regular genre for me. The novel is a clear departure from Mexican Gothic, though the author is steadfast in her descriptions of Mexico and bringing the culture to life on the page. Atl and Domingo are sympathetic and realistic, their teenage love story feeling super relatable (minus the vampire part). This was dark but not depressing and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

After hearing about Silvia Moreno-Garcia in Canadian bookstagram circles and friend groups in real life for ages, I was thrilled to finally read one of her works through this exchange.

What an amazing book! The author totally lives up to the hype. I'm so happy I read this, and I immediately went out to pickup Mexican Gothic. Moreno-Garcia will be an instant buy author for me from now on. Her writing style is distinct and so creative.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia gave a tired trope new life. She elevated vampires! In her alternate world, the vampires have come out to the human world in the form of drug dealing gangs. With the setting mostly centered around Latin heritage and central America, the reader can draw a definite parallel between the vampires and the cartels. Money, power, and tradition are solid motivators for the different subspecies of vampires. So vampires, while often described as long living and inhumanly beautiful, they are not good people. Moreno-Garcia describes some horribly violent things that these vampires do and they are not sexy nor sparkly. Also, the author brings in the theory that vampires are completely different species from humans and they are born, not made. Humans cannot become vampires. They can become concubines, helpers, or slaves, but not vampires. In addition, the vampires are broken into subspecies, each from a different cultural area and with their own special abilities.
The down side to this rich set up is that the characters were often flat. The story is told in the old noir way, but because of this, we did not get to connect with the different characters. There were a few I was rooting for or were fascinated by, but overall we did not get to spend much time in their thoughts. The noir style in of itself is a lot of telling not showing, and while I appreciate the risk, I was not a fan.
Overall this book was solid and interesting and I will recommend this to fans of vampire stories such as Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice.